Design Atelier paves a way for Taiwan's textile industry

To push for the transformation of Taiwan's textile industry and make up for the insufficient parts in the clothing production line, the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部工業局) worked with Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF, 中華民國紡織業拓展會) for a year to launch the Design Atelier (台北服飾快速設計打樣中心) and Accessory Atelier (配飾設計打樣中心), with the aim to bring the industry onto a fast track, accelerating the process from design to product.

To become more competitive in the global garment circle, Taiwan's textile industry has to be able to make quick responses to fashion trends, and meanwhile produce quality products. Design Atelier is meant to help garment manufacturers who don't have enough resource to upgrade their equipment facing the new challenges in our times.

Design Atelier features a wide array of services from databases of body shapes, clothing sizes and styles to 3D body camera and computer programs to simulate how clothes look like when they are worn by real people. These are some cutting-edge technologies a typical garment manufacturer doesn't have at his or her own factories.

In addition, the intelligent sampling equipment Design Atelier provides allow designers to quickly produce a sample in smaller quantities, a big difference from the old times when making a sample takes longer time and not cost-effective if only to make a few samples.

Design Atelier Helps Loki Expand

Ask avid skiers and snowboarders what "Loki" means to them and chances are, their enthusiastic reactions will have little to do with Norse mythology.

Instead, they will likely rave about Loki Gear, the pioneer of high-tech, versatile outerwear with built-in accessories that make packing for a ski trip getaway that much easier.

Like the Nordic shape-shifting god of mischief after whom it was named, the outwear brand features jackets with built-in face shields and mitts, both of which are completely hidden until needed. An insular jacket can be stuffed and folded into a little backpack, transformer-style. The strides of such innovative designs have forced the people at Loki to speedily patent every standout product before imitators get any ideas.

According to Joseph Hsieh (謝卓穎), manager of Loki China (樂活城戶外用品有限公司), Loki has even bigger plans to compete with the most well-known outerwear staples. Think The North Face and Patagonia. For the time being, the brand is content with rolling out its first line suitable for warm weather.